Alexander Collection of Imperial Russian Stamps

The Alexander Collection of Imperial Russian Stamps contains some of the rarest and oldest Russian stamps in the world.

The collection

The collection contained many unique examples of Russian Imperial stamps, including many “rare and treasured pieces”.

Included was a cover featuring two vertical pairs of the 1857 10k brown & blue stamps. It has been estimated by experts that there are only 30 pairs of this stamp in existence; it is the first and only imperforate stamp from Russia.

The cover, which features margins all around the stamps, has well preserved colouration and pen cancellation, and is currently viewed as the second highest franking of its kind known.

Another notable piece in the collection is a dark green cover featuring the 1856 10 kop za lot and 1 kop za Konv as well as an embossed Imperial ‘White Eagle’ in black.

A highlight is a very fine 1856 10 kop za affixed to a small card and attached to a unique Russian Mercury essay. The exquisite bi-colour essay, which adds significant rarity to the piece, was previously part of the Fabergé and Breitfuss collections.

Arguably the most important piece in the collection is a set of five 1857 brown & blue stamps, with large margins all around, good colour and impression. Each stamp features a large cancellation cross and is regarded as the most important piece in Russian stamp collecting.

It is the largest known multiple of this first and only imperforate Russian stamp and is highly regarded by collectors from across the globe.

The collection also featured an 1858 20k lilac & green, perforated and gummed proof on unwatermarked paper. This vertical block of six was perfectly centred, post office fresh and described as “a beautiful multiple of second issue proof.”

Sale

In September 2010, over 150 pieces from the collection were sold by Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers, New York.

The set of 1857 10k brown & blue stamps were purchased for $57,500, while the 1856 Imperial ‘White Eagle’ set sold for $62,500.

The 1856 10 kop za lot attached to the Russian Mercury essay realised $75,000, while the set of 1858 20k lilac & green stamps sold for $20,000.

However, the stand-out sale featured the strip of five 1857 brown & blue stamps which sold for an enormous $230,000.